This application claims the priority of commonly owned German patent application Serial No. 199 45 808.1 filed Sep. 24, 1999. The disclosure of the above-referenced German patent application, as well as that of each U.S. and foreign patent and patent application mentioned in the specification of the present application, is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to improvements in methods of and in apparatus for emptying containers, and more particularly to improvements in methods of and in apparatus for manipulating refillable containers. Still more particularly, the invention relates to improvements in methods of and in apparatus for manipulating successive containers of a series of containers which must be transported from a source of filled containers to an evacuating or emptying sation and thereupon away from the emptying station, especially back to the source. Examples of containers which can be manipulated in accordance with the method and in the apparatus of the instant invention are so-called chargers or trays for piles or stacks of plain or filter cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, filter rod sections and other rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry.
It is customary to introduce the output of a cigarette making machine (or another machine for the making of rod-shaped products of the tobacco processing industry) into chargers or trays (hereinafter called trays) serving for temporary storage of the rod-shaped products (hereinafter referred to as cigarettes for short) as well as for the transport of cigarettes to a processing unit, e.g., to a packing machine. The contents of filled trays can be admitted directly into the magazine of a packing machine (e.g., a machine known as COMPAS 500 and distributed by the assignee of the present application) or into a reservoir which discharges a mass flow of parallel cigarettes into a packing machine. An apparatus for forming a mass flow of cigarettes or the like is disclosed, for example, in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,472,078 granted Dec. 5, 1995 to Hoffmann et al. for xe2x80x9cMETHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CONVERTING A SINGLE LAYER OF ROD-SHAPED ARTICLES INTO A MASS FLOWxe2x80x9d.
As a rule, a tray for temporary storage and/or transport of stacks of parallel cigarettes comprises a bottom wall, two upright sidewalls and a rear wall, i.e., the front side and the top of the tray are open. The axes of confined cigarettes are parallel to the sidewalls, and one of their ends abuts the rear wall. It is also possible to provide each tray with a top wall which is removable or retractible to permit convenient admission of cigarettes at the outlet of a cigarette maker, e.g., a machine known as PROTOS and designed to turn out plain cigarettes, or a machine known as MAX and designed to turn out filter cigarettes (such machines are distributed by the assignee of the present application).
It is customary to design the tray emptying or evacuating apparatus in such a way that successive filled trays are inverted upside down to thus discharge their contents into the magazine of a packing machine or into other suitable receiving means. Such inversion of filled trays is a feature of the combined tray-filling and tray-emptying apparatus known as COMFLEX (distributed by the assignee of the present application). Reference may also be had to U.S. Pat. No. 3,527,369 (granted Sep. 8, 1970 to Bornfleth et al. for xe2x80x9cAPPARATUS FOR FEEDING ROD-SHAPED ARTICLES TO CONSUMING MACHINESxe2x80x9d), U.S. Pat. No. 3,655,080 (granted Apr. 11, 1972 to Gianese for xe2x80x9cCIGARETTE PACKER HOPPER AUTOMATIC FEEDING DEVICExe2x80x9d), U.S. Pat. No. 3,777,911 (granted Dec. 11, 1973 to Bornfleth for xe2x80x9cAPPARATUS FOR MANIPULATING CONTAINERS FOR CIGARETTES OR THE LIKExe2x80x9d), and U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,908 (granted Sep. 13, 1983 to Cartoceti for xe2x80x9cMETHOD FOR THE EMPTYING OF CIGARETTE TRAYS INTO MAGAZINESxe2x80x9d), as well as to German patent No. 19 39 395. As a rule, a so-called cage or carriage is used to receive a filled tray, to transport the filled tray to and to invert it at an emptying station, and to transport the emptied tray away from such station. The admission of a fresh filled tray into the carriage must be preceded by a time-consuming removal of the freshly emptied tray; such removal is efected by specially designed, bulky and expensive tray evacuating apparatus.
Commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 4,564,329 (granted Jan. 14, 1986 to Bantien for xe2x80x9cAPPARATUS FOR MANIPULATING EMPTY AND FILLED TRAYS FOR CIGARETTES OR THE LIKE BETWEEN MAKING AND PROCESSING MACHINESxe2x80x9d) is designed to directly couple a cigarette maker with a packing machine.
Commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,625 (granted May 22, 1984 to Grieben et al. for xe2x80x9cAPPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING TRAYS FOR CIGARETTES OR THE LIKExe2x80x9d) discloses an apparatus which transports freshly filled trays from a lower level of a tray filling machine to an upper level, namely to a tray removing station.
Commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,106,254 (granted Apr. 21, 1992 to Tolasch et al. for xe2x80x9cAPPARATUS FOR FILLING AND EMPTYING TRAYS FOR ROD-SHAPED ARTICLES OF THE TOBACCO PROCESSING INDUSTRYxe2x80x9d) discloses an apparatus for removing cigarettes from a mass flow between one or more producing machines and one or more processing machines when the output of the producing machines exceeds the requirements of the processing machines, and for returning cigarettes into the mass flow when the requirements of the processing machines exceed the output of the producing machines.
An important object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved method of manipulating filled and emptied containers for accumulations (such as so-called quincunx formations) of discrete commodities, for example, arrays of rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method which can be resorted to for replacement, in a mobile carriage, of fully emptied containers with filled containers in a simple, inexpensive and time-saving manner.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method which renders it possible to remove emptied containers from a mobile carriage simultaneously with the carrying out of a different step involving the manipulation of the carriage and/or its contents.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a novel series of steps which can be carried out in connection with the evacuation of the contents of chargers or trays for cigarettes or other rod-shaped products of the tobacco processing industry.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a method which can be practiced by resorting to novel machines, apparatus or production lines and/or by resorting to certain existing apparatus, machines or production lines which necessitate relatively minor adaptations to render them suitable for the practice of the present invention.
A further important object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved apparatus for the practice of the above outlined method.
Another object of the invention is to provide the apparatus with novel and improved means for expelling freshly emptied containers for cigarettes or the like from a carriage for filled and emptied containers.
An additional object of the invention is to provide the apparatus with novel and improved means for the transport and temporary storage of emptied containers upon expulsion of such containers from their carriage.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved arrangement for introducing filled containers into a mobile carriage for filled and emptied containers.
A further object of the invention is to provide novel and improved means for temporarily coupling a container to a carriage in the above outlined apparatus.
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which can be utilized as a space-saving substitute for conventional apparatus in production lines which turn out packaged rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved link between one or more cigarette makers and one or more cigarette packers and/or other cigarette processing machines or units.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved arrangement for manipulating emptied containers prior to, during and subsequent to their expulsion from the carriage.
A further object of the invention is to provide the apparatus with novel and improved means for introducing filled containers into the carriage and for simultaneously carrying out at least one additional useful and important operation.
One feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a method of manipulating successive filled and emptied containers by a mobile carriage between a source of filled containers and an emptying station. The improved method comprises the steps of conveying the carriage with an emptied container therein from the emptying station to the source, advancing a filled container from the source into the carriage to thus at least indirectly and at least partially expel the emptied container from the carriage, transporting the carriage and the filled container therein from the source to the emptying station, evacuating the contents of the filled container in the carriage at the emptying station to thus convert the filled container into an emptied container, and repeating the above-enumerated conveying, advancing, transporting and evacuating steps as long and as often as necessary to satisfy the requirements (of the machine or machines which receives or receive commodities being evacuated from successive filled containers at the emptying station.
The conveying step preferably includes moving the carriage with an emptied container therein from the emptying station, along a predetermined path, and to the source; the transporting step of such method can include moving the carriage and the filled container in the carriage from the source, along the aforementioned predetermined path, and to the emptying station.
The advancing step can include moving a filled container from the source, along an at least substantially horizontal path and into the carriage to thus directly and fully expel the emptied container from the carriage. The advancing step can further include expelling the emptied container into an additional path having a receiving portion which constitutes an extension of the at least substantially horizontal path.
The method can further comprise the step of releasably securing the container which is located in the carriage to the carriage in the course of at least one of the conveying, transporting and evacuating steps.
The transporting step of the aforedescribed method can include moving the carriage and the filled container therein from the source to the emptying station along an at least partially arcuate path, e.g., along an at least substantially semicircular path. If such method is resorted to for manipulation of successive filled and emptied containers for flowable commodities (such as arrays of parallel cigarettes), it can further comprise the step of maintaining a descending supply of commodities at the emptying station (e.g., in the magazine of a cigarette packing machine), and the evacuating step of such method can include lowering the filled container (e.g., with the carriage) at the emptying station toward the descending supply of commodities and thereupon releasing the commodities for gravitational descent from the filled container onto the descending supply of commodities. The conveying step of such method can include raising the carriage and the emptied container therein above and away from the descending supply of commodities at the emptying station and thereupon moving the carriage and the emptied container in the carriage from the emptying station to the source. The transporting step of the just described embodiment of the method can further include inverting the carriage and the filled container in the carriage upside down so that the commodities in the filled container come to rest on a retractible or removable cover of the carriage at the emptying station; the releasing step can include retracting the cover of the carriage. Such method can further comprise the steps of monitoring the position of the carriage at the emptying station, generating signals denoting the position of the carriage at the emptying station, and utilizing such signals to initiate retraction of the cover in a predetermined position of the carriage relative to the emptying station.
The method can further comprise the step of lowering the expelled emptied container to a level beneath the source of filled containers. Such method can further comprise the step of moving the lowered emptied container along an at least substantially horizontal path.
The advancing step can include moving a filled container from the source into the carriage to an extent which is necessary to expel the entire emptied container from the carriage. Such advancing step can further include positively driving a filled container from the source into the carriage. Still further, such advancing step can include tilting the carriage not later than upon completion of the conveying step.
In accordance with a presently preferred embodiment of the improved method, the advancing step can include utilizing the filled container to fully expel the emptied container from the carriage.
The containers can constitute so-called chargers or trays which serve for temporary storage and transport of rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry. Such method can further comprise the steps of filling a succession of empty trays (such as emptied trays returned from the emptying station) with rod-shaped articles and delivering the thus filled trays to the source. The evacuating step of such method can include admitting rod-shaped articles from the filled container at the emptying station into a packing machine for rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry.
The transporting step of the improved method can include turning the carriage and the filled container in such carriage upside down during transport from the source of filled containers to the emptying station. The evacuating step of such method can include emptying the filled container at the emptying station by gravity flow of its contents into a magazine, such as the magazine of a packing machine or a receptacle for temporary storage of commodities ahead of a packing machine.
Another feature of the invention resides in the provision of an apparatus for manipulating successive filled and emptied containers. The improved apparatus comprises a source of filled containers, and an emptying unit including means for receiving the contents of filled containers, a carriage for filled and emptied containers, and transporting means for moving the carriage with at least one filled container therein from a first location at the source to a second location at the receiving means and for moving the carriage with at least one emptied container from the second location back to the first location. The apparatus further comprises means for introducing filled containers from the source into the carriage at the first location to an extent such that the emptied at least one container is at least indirectly and at least partially expelled from the carriage as a result of introduction of at least one filled container into the carriage.
The transporting means can include means for moving the carriage and its contents (i.e., at least one filled container or at least one emptied container) back and forth along an at least partially arcuate (such as a substantially semicircular) path having a first end at the source of filled trays and a second end at the receiving means.
The introducing means of the improved apparatus can comprise a transfer unit having means for advancing filled containers from the source into the carriage while the latter dwells at the first location. The advancing means of such introducing means can include means for moving filled containers along an at least partially horizontal path or along an at least substantially horizontal path. For example, the advancing means can include at least one linear actuator, e.g., an actuator which employs a piston rod-free fluid-operated (e.g., pneumatically operated) motor. Still further, such actuating means can comprise a vehicle for filled containers and means for moving the vehicle (with at least one filled container therein) from the source to the carriage at the first location. The vehicle can constitute a means for directly contacting and at least partially expelling emptied containers from the carriage at the first location. The vehicle can be provided with a substantially upright wall and the advancing means can further comprise means for tilting the vehicle so that a filled receptacle in the tilted vehicle abuts the wall under the action of gravity. The apparatus exhibiting the just discussed features can be further provided with means for actuating the tilting means during a predetermined stage of dwell of the carriage at the first location.
The apparatus further comprises means for releasably securing containers to the carriage while the carriage is away from the first location. The securing means can include means for temporarily locking containers to the carriage during movement of the carriage between a first level of the first location and a different second level of the second location. The provision of suitable securing means is important if the carriage and its contents are turned upside down during movement of the carriage from the first location to the second location, i.e., from the source of filled containers toward the receiving means.
The carriage can be provided with a cover which is movable between an operative position in which it overlies a filled container in the carriage and an inoperative position in which it is offset from a filled container in the carriage (the cover can be separably or shiftably, pivotably or otherwise connected to the carriage). If the transporting means includes means for turning the carriage and at least one filled container therein upside down during movement of the carriage from the first location to the second location, such manipulation of the carriage causes the contents of a filled container in the carriage to come to rest on the cover while the cover dwells in the operative position and the carriage is disposed at the second location. The emptying unit can comprise means for moving the cover to the inoperative position upon arrival of the carriage and at least one filled container therein at the second location. The receiving means can include at least one wall which is movable between a raised and a lowered position, and the receiving means can comprise a magazine (such as the magazine of a packing machine) for the contents of emptied containers. The magazine has an open top and the at least one wall is adjacent such open top. The arrangement is preferably such that the carriage comes to rest upon the raised wall of the receiving means when the carriage arrives at the second location. Such apparatus can further comprise means for lowering the at least one Wall, with the carriage on the wall, and means for setting the lowering means in motion until the cover descends to a level at which it is located at a predetermined distance from and above the contents of the magazine. The means for moving the cover is or can be arranged to move the cover to the operative position upon completed lowering of the at least one wall to the aforementioned level at which the cover is located at the predetermined distance from and above the contents of the magazine.
The improved apparatus is preferably further provided with means for inercepting emptied containers upon expulsion from the carriage. Such intercepting means can comprise means for lowering emptied containers from a first level of the first location to a second level below the first location.
The apparatus can also comprise a storage facility for emptied containers which are supplied by the just mentioned lowering means; such storage facility can comprise an at least substantially horizontal conveyor for emptied containers.
The source can comprise, or it can be associated with, means for filling emptied containers with a flowable array of commodities, for example, with rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry. The receiving means of such apparatus can be associated with a machine (such as the aforediscussed cigarette packing machine) for processing rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry.
The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The improved apparatus itself, however, both as to its construction and the modes of assembling and operating the same, together with numerous additional important and advantageous features and attributes thereof, will be best understood upon perusal of the following detailed description of certain presently preferred specific embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.